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Of a Feather Hardcover – February 9, 2021
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In the vein of Barbara O’Connor’s Wish, a moving, poignant story told in alternating perspectives about a down-on-her-luck girl who rescues a baby owl, and how the two set each other free.
Great horned owl Rufus is eight months old and still can’t hunt. When his mother is hit by a car, he discovers just how dangerous the forest can be.
Reenie has given up on adults and learned how to care for herself—a good thing, since she’s sent to live with an aunt she’s never met. Yet this aunt has a wonderful secret: she’s a falconer who agrees to help Reenie catch an injured passage hawk in the wild and rehabilitate it.
When Reenie traps bedraggled Rufus, his eyes lock onto her heart, and they form a powerful friendship. But can Rufus learn to trust in the outside world and fly free? And can Reenie open her heart enough to truly soar?
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Grade level5 - 7
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.11 x 8.25 inches
- PublisherClarion Books
- Publication dateFebruary 9, 2021
- ISBN-100358283531
- ISBN-13978-0358283539
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Set in Vermont, the story is fleshed out by thought-provoking forays into the ethics of hunting and the powerlessness of children in determining their home lives....Unusual and poignant—full of the depth and contradictions of life."—Kirkus "A tender tale that reminds readers that families come in all forms and that the greatest rewards come from opening oneself to all that life has to offer."—Booklist "A compelling narrative of coping, loss, and learning to trust."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books “Dayna writes the inner thoughts of animals better than anyone I know, and I’m sure readers are going to fall in love with Rufus the fierce and lovable great horned owl, just like I did! This sweet, funny story of a prickly girl and the owl she helps rescue is a perfect tale of outcasts, friendship, falconry, and the families we create.”—Tui T. Sutherland, New York Times bestselling author of the Wings of Fire series "I love this story of falconry, family, and finding your way in a big, scary world. Reenie and Rufus absolutely stole my heart!" —Kate Messner, author of Chirp and the Ranger in Time series —
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
Reenie
I can always fake a smile, always. Except tonight, my face just won't cooperate.
For sure, tonight wasn't great. Gram's mean boyfriend, Phil, let his usual simmering stew of anger boil over. He and Gram were yelling loud enough to keep me awake. Loud enough to wake the neighbors, too, because one of them made a big deal of everything and called the police just as Phil started throwing plates as punctuation. Now, the social worker is lost trying to drive me to some stranger's house, her car smells like feet, I have mud on my pajamas, and I cannot make my mouth bend into a smile.
The car swerves hard onto a side road, and the wheels bump as the road turns from pavement to dirt. I lean forward, pressing my chest to the seat belt, to get into the social worker's peripheral vision. 'should we maybe go back to my gram's house?' I say in my nicest kid-trying-to-help voice. It's the one that works best on adults in these kinds of situations.
The social worker yawns, gulps a swig of coffee from her thermos, and smiles sleepily. "We'll find it.' She looks back at the road. I think her name is Randi. Yes, Randi with an i. I pull my backpack onto my lap, reach inside, and wrap the matted fluff of the marabou string Mom gave me tight around my fingers.
'Ah!' Randi stops the car in front of the driveway of a ramshackle farmhouse built too close to the curb. "Here we are," she says with forced cheer.
The headlights pick out shadows along the house's patchy and peeling white paint. The curtains are drawn across the bay window and no light shines by the green front door.
'Who lives here, again?' I ask. I've never been here before.
Randi-with-an-i has to look at her folder. "Your great-aunt. Your grandmother's sister?"
'I didn't think Gram had a sister."
She flips pages. "Your father's mother. Her sister."
That explains why I don't know her. I unwrap my fingers, tuck the marabou away. "Okay."
Randi squeezes my knee. 'this isn't the end of things, Reenie."
'maureen."
'Right. Maureen. Sorry.' She glances at the folder. "It's another step in the path, that's all."
I pull the handle and pop open the door. 'sure."
There isn't much ceremony in my transfer of custody. The social worker gives the alleged aunt the thick folder and some paperwork. I can guess what the folder has in it: the whole story of me and Mom. How I've been living with my gram all summer, ever since Mom's sadness got so big, it pushed everything else out of her. It's not the first time this has happened, so we all knew what to do: Gram got Mom admitted to the psychiatric ward at the hospital, and I camped on the futon in Gram's junk room. Why'd Phil have to mess everything up? Why'd the neighbor have to be such a light sleeper?
The alleged aunt signs some papers, hands them to Randi-with-an-i, keeps others. In less than ten minutes, Randi's back on the road, and I'm standing on the warped wood floor of the wide foyer of a potentially falling-down house with a total stranger who's supposed to be my replacement parent.
'I'm Beatrice," the alleged aunt says. "Beatrice Prince.' She's tall and old. "You can call me Beatrice.' She's got long gray hair strapped back in a braid with scraggles poking out. She's wearing men's flannel pants and a T-shirt so faded I can't make out the words, only the letters R and T in a few places.
'You're Will's kid?' she says after a minute of me saying nothing.
'I guess.' My dad has never been around.
She gives me the up and down with her eyes. "You look like him."
'I've seen pictures."
She considers me for a moment more, then says, 'Huh.' She turns and walks toward the back of the house. "Come on," she says, beckoning from halfway down the hall. Clearly, Randi woke her from a deep sleep.
I follow her. The floorboards groan and shift beneath my sneakers. The foyer narrows to a hall alongside the stairs, then opens into a kitchen. There are jars and bowls everywhere. A breeze slithers in through the open window, carrying a stink that's wild and musky and rank.
'What's that smell?' I ask, pulling my T-shirt over my nose for emphasis.
'I keep birds," she says, stopping beside the counter and taking a sip of water from a mason jar. 'this is the kitchen. You can eat whatever you want. That over there is the living room.' She points to the room next to the kitchen. "I don't have a TV.' She says this as if daring me to complain about the fact. 'there's a dining room, but I don't use it for dining."
'What do you use it for?"
'my birds.' She walks toward me, back to the front of the house. We stand there, facing each other in the narrow hall. I don't feel like moving.
She raises her hand, pointing behind me. "I'll show you your room.' When I still don't move, she squeezes around me, then turns and heads upstairs.
I follow her up the steps to a landing. Right leads to her room at the back of the house. Left leads to my room at the front. Between them is the one bathroom in the house.
'the blue towels are yours," she says. "I also found an extra toothbrush and hairbrush. I wasn't sure'' She stops midsentence, scratches her scalp near the base of the braid. "I'm sorry about your mom going to the hospital. I didn't know'"
My fingers claw the canvas of my backpack. "It's been two months," I say. "I'm over it."
The alleged aunt takes a moment, then nods. "I'll leave you to get yourself to bed."
I must look unusually awful for the aunt to feel the need to start in with the 'I'm sorry about your mom' stuff, so I poke my head into the bathroom. It's clean enough, with a pedestal sink, a rickety-looking shelf over the john, and a claw-footed tub with a white curtain hanging from a circular bar above it. The window looks down the road, back south where I came from.
There's a mirror over the sink. My brown hair is a snarl on top of my head. There are circles under my brown eyes and the whites are bloodshot, some of those 'signs' adults like to point to when identifying the 'troubled kids.' I splash a handful of water on my face, dry off on one of the blue towels, crack open that new toothbrush, and brush my teeth. The toothpaste tastes too minty, but too minty is maybe a good thing. At Gram's house, there was only one bathroom and four adults'Gram, Phil, Mom's brother Tony, and his girlfriend, Lisa'plus me, so I didn't have a lot of chances to brush my teeth. Not that that was a big deal'I mean, I didn't even have school. But your mouth begins to feel fuzzy after a while. Here, there's a little metal stand for the toothbrushes. I drop mine in and it jingles. It doesn't have to act so happy.
Back in the hall, I approach the closed door identified as 'my room.' 'my room' is huge. The walls are yellow'not my color, but whatever'and there's a round rag rug made of all different-colored strips in the center of the floor. On one side is a desk with a chair; on the other, a big old bed with a quilt and two pillows. The closet is a cavern of empty hangers.
I open my backpack and take out my two T-shirts. I hang them. They spin listlessly in the vast space. I hang my jean shorts, my four clean socks, and three pairs of underwear on the remaining hangers. I unzip the hoodie I'm wearing and hang it, too. The closet still looks empty. The clothes drift around like they're looking for someone.
My backpack lies on the floor, split open like a skin. The marabou hangs out over the zipper. Mom splurged on it one night as we checked out of the Dollar General. We went home and had a karaoke party, taking turns wearing the marabou string as a boa, dancing and belting out Taylor Swift until the neighbors banged on the wall for us to stop.
That familiar buzz crackles up from my belly button and prickles the inside of my ears. Words fizz out of it: afraid, stranger, alone. The buzz careens around inside of my skull and the words flash like lightning and my fingers start to tingle and I can barely keep the tears from trickling out, but I do. I take a deep breath. Suck it all back in. Squeeze the buzz down to a tummy rumble. Lock all those words up tight.
'Good night," I hear from the hall. The strip of light beneath my door goes dark.
I could say something back, but I don't.
The floorboards squeak under my feet as I cross the room. There's a night table next to the bed. The shallow drawer has a nub of pencil in it, some old hair bands, and a wrinkled paperback book, My Side of the Mountain.
I'm in someone else's room. Or what was someone else's room. So many questions, but I have to wait until the alleged aunt is asleep to begin a proper investigation. I mean, she got a whole file on me. It's only fair.
I dig out the paperback. It's about a kid who runs away to the middle of nowhere because his house is too crowded. I hate it when books make it seem like kids have a choice about this stuff. It's like, Where's this guy's Randi-with-an-i? But whatever'the story keeps me awake.
Finally, the grumble of a snore rattles across the hall and it's go time. Creeping downstairs, careful not to squeak any floorboards, I first head for the 'bird room.' I'm hoping for a menagerie, but no; it's just a mostly empty room with shutters over the windows. What do these birds do in here? Boring.
I sneak into the living room. There are bookshelves and then more books stacked like end tables next to the couch and the overstuffed chair which huddle around the wood stove. I flip through a few'mostly mysteries with gray-haired ladies surrounded by doilies on the covers. Headlights from a passing car scan over the room, catching me like a thief in the act. I freeze; they pass; I search on.
In a second bookcase near the front window, I hit the jackpot: a photo album. There's a wedding photo'the alleged aunt was married. The guy looks nice enough. Here's them hiking, here they are in a canoe. Here's them with a baby. A little girl. A postcard from the girl: Dear Mom, Dad's new house is nice. Mindy is nice, too. I miss you. Love, Ava. It was mailed from St. Louis. Ten years ago.
So I'm in Ava's'the kid's'room. The aunt's divorced. The kid lives with her dad. Did she have a choice? Is this a clue or just what happened?
A stair creaks.
I shove the postcard into the album and the album back into the bookcase and scramble toward the kitchen.
'maureen?' Beatrice asks, flipping on the hall light.
'I just wanted a glass of water," I say, grabbing a glass out of the cabinet.
She steps into the kitchen, turns on the overhead light. "It's your house now too."
I fill the glass. Take a sip.
'maureen," she begins, 'I'm not your mom, but I'"
'No," I say, interrupting, 'you're not.' And I'm not her replacement kid. I put the empty glass in the sink and walk past her.
'Good night," she says as I tromp upstairs.
I shut myself in my room. She stays in the kitchen washing that glass for a good ten minutes after.
Product details
- Publisher : Clarion Books (February 9, 2021)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0358283531
- ISBN-13 : 978-0358283539
- Reading age : 10 - 12 years, from customers
- Grade level : 5 - 7
- Item Weight : 15.7 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.11 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #689,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #481 in Children's Books on Orphans & Foster Homes
- #5,421 in Children's Books on Emotions & Feelings (Books)
- #10,155 in Children's Friendship Books
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Dayna Lorentz is the author of the middle grade novels Wayward Creatures and Of a Feather (Clarion Books/HarperCollins Children's), the No Safety in Numbers trilogy (Speak/Penguin Random House) and the Dogs of the Drowned City series (Scholastic). She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from Bennington College. Dayna is a staff attorney with the Vermont Judiciary and lives with her husband, two kids, and two cats in Vermont. If you ask nicely, she will show you the proper way to eat a cupcake. Visit her at www.daynalorentz.com and NoSafetyinNumbersBooks.com.
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Customers find the book a great value for money. They appreciate the engaging story that reflects events and is relatable for young adults. The story is about friendship, family, and falconry.
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Customers appreciate the book's value for money. They find it a great book for both kids and adults.
"this was one of my favorite books and it is super funny and definitely worth reading...." Read more
"The novel, Of a Feather, written by Dayna Lorentz was just an okay book. One of the downsides was the plot...." Read more
"Fantastic book!!..." Read more
"Worth a read..." Read more
Customers enjoy the story. They find it wonderful and rousing, with events that young adults can reflect on. The story also explores friendship, family, and falconry.
"This is a rousing story of friendship, family & falconry. Prepare yourself to meet a young girl named Reenie & a young Great Horned Owl named Rufus...." Read more
"Great story to help students learn empathy for children who do not have the best home life...." Read more
"This book is terrific for young adults. It reflects a series of events that young adults can reflect on and add value to there current experiences..." Read more
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Great book about the complexities of family
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2022This is a rousing story of friendship, family & falconry. Prepare yourself to meet a young girl named Reenie & a young Great Horned Owl named Rufus. The reader will quickly notice that Reenie & Rufus take turns narrating the chapters in this wonderful story.
Rufus is only eight months old and still can’t hunt when his entire world crumbles around him. His Mom – who was teaching him to hunt – was hit by a car & taken far away. After losing his Mom, Rufus quickly learned just how perilous the surrounding forest could be.
After a tough childhood, young Reenie has just about given up on the adults around her. At a pretty young age, she learned how to take care of herself. Poor Reenie really hasn’t had the easiest life – her Mom deals with a deep sadness & sometimes needs to get treatment, from the hospital. While Reenie’s Mom is away, she lives with her Gram and her Gram’s boyfriend. After an incident at her Gram’s house, Reenie gets sent to live with an aunt whom she’s never met.
However, this aunt has a delightful secret: she’s a falconer. When Reenie first meets her Aunt Bea’s red tailed hawk: Red – something magical happens inside herself. Soon Reenie becomes utterly fascinated with everything to do with falconry. Her Aunt Bea agrees to help Reenie catch a passage hawk in the wild & then Reenie will train it herself.
Then Reenie ends up trapping an injured Rufus instead. When their eyes first meet, they instantly form a pretty powerful friendship. While Reenie is helping to rehabilitate Rufus, she discovers for the first time in her life a “real” home, family and friends. Very slowly Reenie starts to let down her guard, only to be torn apart when her Mom gets well enough to leave the hospital. Part of Reenie wants to live with her Mom, but another part doesn’t want to lose her new life.
Will Reenie find the courage open up her heart enough to fly high? Will Rufus learn how to be a true wild owl and once again live in the forest?
To find out what happens with Reenie and Rufus – grab of a copy of this marvelous story right away.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2024Great story to help students learn empathy for children who do not have the best home life. My students were not liking the way the main character was treating others but as the story progresses, they learned why she was acting the way she was. Great story!
- Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020From the opening pages of Dayna Lorentz's middle-grade novel "Of a Feather," you can't help but fall in love with her two central characters, a necessarily self-reliant young girl named Reenie and a six-month-old Great Horned Owl named Rufus, whose parallel lives are vibrantly brought to life in a sort of back-and-forth fashion by the Vermont native Lorentz.
We first meet Rufus, an underperforming six-month-old soon-to-be master of the forest whose elder sister has already mastered independence while Rufus is struggling to prove his prowess as one of the forest's most feared predators. When tragedy befalls him and his weary but still protective mother is hit by a car, he discovers just how dangerous the forest can be.
Reenie's learning her own lessons that life in the real world is rather scary, lessons earned largely from her own experiences growing up in a home with a mentally ill mother and her own placement in-and-out of foster homes while her mother goes through yet another hospitalization. Her mother's latest placement may prove to be her last shot at parenthood, Reenie's placement being with an aunt she's never met but who has a rather wonderful secret that instantly enchants the young girl who is seemingly desperate to connect with anyone or anything.
As you've likely already guessed, "Of a Feather" becomes the story of the relationship that grows between Reenie and Rufus, two living beings "of a feather" who learn to grow together while also learning the pros and cons of their independence. "Of a Feather" is almost instantly immersive, Lorentz's writing taking a potentially misguided concept, portraying the inner-thoughts of an owl, and brings it beautifully to life in a way that will likely have children everywhere rushing to learn all they can about birds and, most especially, owls.
As someone who already loves owls and kids, I was in love with "Of a Feather" from beginning to end while also being able to acknowledge that the book's storyline is rather simple and straightforward and the obligatory conflict that will have to come can be seen from a mile away and is handled, I'd dare say, just a wee bit clumsily.
Truthfully, though, I loved the simplicity of "Of a Feather." So many writers feel the need to fill their stories with unnecessary histrionics and story threads that don't go anywhere. That's not here. Not at all. Every character whom Lorentz brings to the forefront has a rather sacred purpose here, from Reenie and Rufus being obviously central to the story to delightful souls like Aunt Bea, a delightful falcon named Red, and two potential friends for Reenie, Jaxon and Jamie. Reenie's mother is handled with dignity yet also rather honestly, while "Of a Feather" also deals with quiet honesty about the consequences even the best intentions may have when rules are broken along the way.
Minor flaws aside, I loved every moment of this engaging, good-hearted, and spirited novel due for release in 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.
This sweet book captured my emotions, laughter and tears flowed freely, and I lamented the ending that arrived much too early as I was fully willing to continue spending time with these characters.
In addition to being immersed in an engaging story, you'll learn about owls, falconry, animal rehabilitation, and the world where children often very little, if any, power to determine the course of their own lives. Lorentz, who has worked in and around the foster care system, clearly has done her research and knows how to bring these worlds to life in a special way.
"Of a Feather" is most certainly a special middle-grade novel that I'd wholeheartedly recommend to the animal loving middle-grade reader in your family or foster family. You'll love these characters, their stories, and the way that Dayna Lorentz brings their stories to life and ultimately sends them down their own paths in a way that makes sense and warms the heart.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2021This book is a must-read for kids, but also adults! Very well written and entertaining, and you’ll learn a lot about falconry and owls!!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2021This book is terrific for young adults. It reflects a series of events that young adults can reflect on and add value to there current experiences in a positive way.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2021this was one of my favorite books and it is super funny and definitely worth reading. It is a wonderful book for both kids and adults, anyone will be sure to love it!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2021Bought this book for my 8 year old grandson and he’s loving it! Told me all about it on our last visit! 1/2 way through now.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024The novel, Of a Feather, written by Dayna Lorentz was just an okay book. One of the downsides was the plot. The plot was very predictable, and you could easily guess what would come next. Also, some of the characters were not very developed and the reader only gets to know them as school students. Some of the pros are the alternating points of view and the cute cover. It's a good book about animals and their human connections.